Frame with bracket for automobiles



1957 H. P. BAUER' ,809,050

FRAME WITH BRACKET FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 50, 1955 9 FIGS IN VENTORHoma P Bauer.

States Patented Get. 8, 1957 ice FRAME WITH BRACKET FOR AUTOMOBILESHorace P. Bauer, Huntingdon Valley, Pa, assignor to The Budd Company,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December30, 1955, Serial No. 556,535

4 Claims. (Cl. 280-106) The invention relates to automobile chassis orunderframe structures and particularly to the arrangement of bracketsattached thereto.

More specifically, the invention relates to frames and brackets of thetypes disclosed in the copending applications of the same assignee asthe present application: Alexander R. Lindsay, Automobile Chassis orUnderframe Structure, Serial No. 358,315, filed May 29, 1953, nowabandoned; Walter E. Dean, Chassis Frame with Tubular Side Sills forAutomobiles, Serial No. 437,966, filed June 21, 1954; and Alexander R.Lindsay, Automobile Chassis or Underframe Structure, Serial No. 438,144,filed June 21, 1954.

The main object of the invention is increased strength and durability ofthe connection between bracket and frame without increase in cost andweight.

The improvement resides essentially in arranging the flanges connectingupper and lower stampings of a boxsectional frame member so that thetangent of a cylin drical wall portion of the lower stamping is inalignment with a bracket member or strut secured to the flanges andtransfers stresses without abrupt change in direction into thecylindrical wall portion.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawing anddescribed in the following.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic, small-scale plan View of a chassis frame;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary larger-scale plan view of the frame portionsurrounded in Fig. 1 by dot-and-dash line 2;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation corresponding to Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section along line 44 of Fig. 2 on a still larger scale.

The chassis frame illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a front end structure5, a pair of tubular main side sills 6, and cross beams 7. End structure5 comprises upper and lower stampings 8, 9 which are secured (e. g.,welded) to each other by marginal inner and outer flanges 10, 11 andwhich present box-sectional side sill members 12. Main sills 6 aretelescopingly received and secured in the circle-section rear portionsof sill members 12 which carry on their outsides brackets 13.

The invention, now to be explained, resides in the novel formation andarrangement of the flanges 11 and of body-supporting additional brackets14.

Each bracket 14 is V-shaped and essentially consists of upper and lowermembers or struts 15, 16 having their outer supporting ends connectedwith each other at the apex of the V. Upper member is spot welded at 17to the top of upper stamping 0 and the latters inner reinforcement 18.

An outwardly directed flange 19 at the inner end of 79 The salientfeatures of the invention reside in that outer flanges 11 in front ofrear bracket 13 drop steeply down so that they merge into a verticallydownwardly extending flange portion in the wheel-turnin region 21 and sothat the main portion of lower bracket strut 16 extends tangentially tothe adjoining cylindrically shaped portion of lower stamping 9.

The new arrangement provides, as pointed out hereinbefore, for transferof the stresses from bracket member or strut 16 into the walls of endstructure 5 without abrupt change in direction and without imposingstresses on the connections between stampings 0 and 9 and betweenbrackets 14- and the stampings, which might tend to disrupt theconnections.

The invention is susceptible to modifications and adaptations so as tomeet special conditions of the structures to which it is applied.

What is claimed is:

l. in an automobile frame, a hollow frame member and a bracket, saidframe member being formed of upper and lower stampings connected witheach other by outwardly directed flanges provided along their margins,said lower stamping having a portion curved in cross section, the partof said flanges along said curved portion extending radially outwardly,said bracket having a strut provided with a flange overlappingly securedto said last-named flange part and having a main portion extendingtangentially to said curved stamping portion adjoining it.

2. Frame member with bracket for automobiles, said frame member being ahollow section with an about circular section wall portion and outwardlydirected flanges along one margin of said circular section wall portionand along an adjoining wall portion, said bracket extending tangentiallyin the direction of the circular wall portion adjoining the flangedmargin and having a. flange overlappingly secured to said first-namedflanges.

3. In an automobile frame, a hollow section sill comprising a deepU-sectional upper member and a shallow circlesection lower member, saidmembers being overlappingly connected with each other through outwardlydirected marginal flanges provided on them, a V-shaped bracket having anupper strut overlappingly secured to the top of said upper member andhaving a lower strut arranged tangentially to the direction of theflanged margin of said circular section member and overlappingly securedby a marginal flange to said flanges between said upper and lowermembers.

4. In a chassis frame for automobiles, an end struc-- ture provided witha side sill member and a main sill, the latter telescopingly secured toone end of said sill member, said sill member being formed by upper andlower stampings provided with outwardly directed marginal flanges, saidflanges being arranged at the aforesaid end about half way between topand bottom of said sill member while in a wheel-turndnzone spaced fromsaid end, said flanges being downwardly directed, the flanges at saidends and in said wheel-turn-in zone merging into each other so that theyextend in an intermediate region on an outwardly and downwardly slantedangle radially to an adjoining curved portion of said lower stamping, abracket member being arranged and secured to said sill member incontinuation of said curved portion for transmittal of stresses intosaid lower stamping without abrupt change in direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,173,515 Eklund Sept. 19, 1939

